A man who discovered his ex-girlfriend was speaking to another man online travelled more than 700 miles to burn his house down
The blaze kicked off at 5am on February 10 and engulfed the whole home in flames.
“Upon arrival, emergency services located six adult residents who had evacuated from the home, some of whom had to jump out of second-story windows to escape the flames,” the Bensalem Police Department said to ABC News. “Fire engulfed the two-story single-family dwelling, which resulted in a total loss. Two dogs perished in the fire, and the six adults were transported to nearby hospitals with injuries.”
When the police began to investigate they found a blurry snap of a black vehicle from a local’s CCTV.
The video caught a man entering the house in Pennsylvania, United States, with something in his hand, and a quarter of an hour later, smoke billows out, followed by a massive bang. The coppers tracked the suspect by using road cameras that clocked the black car near the crime scene, reports the Express US.
“While in Bensalem, the car passed through an intersection with Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) installed. Detectives found that the 2021 black Volkswagen Passat had a Michigan registration. The vehicle came back to Brian Jones of Rockford, Michigan,” the police stated.
Other number plate readers traced the vehicle entering Pennsylvania and then heading back towards Michigan. “Detectives discovered that a 21 year old local man had an online relationship with a woman from Michigan, who was due to visit Bensalem for their first face-to-face meeting this week,” the police added.
“The ex-boyfriend of the female from Michigan was identified as Harrison Jones of Rockford, Michigan, who lives at the same address as the owner of the Volkswagen Passat.”
After a search, Jones was arrested at his home where the Volkswagen was also located. Furthermore, authorities noted that Jones appeared to have burns on his arms.
Jones has been charged on suspicion of six counts of attempted criminal homicide, arson, and risking catastrophe. The investigation into the fire remains ongoing.
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